What's New This Year in Chattanooga, Tennessee

Find all the new spots to check out in Chattanooga! 

• New to Do
• New Food to Find
• New Places to Stay
• New Developments Popping Up
• Anniversaries and Milestones

NEW TO DO  

• New & Upcoming Experiences:  

  • The Flying Pickle will be a new 46,000 square foot indoor pickleball destination. The facility is set to open in September 2026 and will include climate-controlled courts, a pro shop, dedicated tournament space, and will welcome players of all levels.

  • CITY STAGES: Artist-Designed Street Performance Zones. The city is launching a new initiative in Spring/Summer 2026 to energize Chattanooga's performing arts scene by installing four temporary sidewalk murals that mark official street-performance zones. The zones will be placed in four high-traffic areas: Renaissance Park, Coolidge Park, Miller Plaza, and St. Elmo. Interested in painting a mural? Apply here.

  • Erlanger Park is a unique multi-use venue and future home of Minor League Baseball's Chattanooga Lookouts. Opening in April 2026 in the heart of the South Broad District, Erlanger Park will blend Chattanooga's proud industrial legacy with state-of-the-art amenities. 

• Temporary Experiences: 

  • Garrett Strang: Paris in the Raw collection at Hunter Museum of American Art (Aug. 28, 2025 - Mar. 30, 2026)
  • Unknown Caller's Holidays at Hogwarts is back and bigger than ever this year. Check it out Nov. 25, 2025 through Jan. 4, 2026 to get a taste of their new menu stacked with potions, brews, and pure wizard chaos. 

NEW FOOD TO FIND  

• New Restaurants, Breweries & Bars: 

  • Mean Jeen’s | Main Street – This new neighborhood cocktail spot is channeling all the 70s retro vibes, featuring a fun photomatica and a delicious full food menu with tacos, burritos, and tortas! 

  • Granny’s Bar | Downtown – Filled with eclectic vintage sports memorabilia and tons of photos of real Chattanoogan grannies, this is your new go-to “sports bar, kinda!” 

  • Brothers Bagel | Hixson – Check out the first bagel shop of its kind in Chattanooga, created by a Chattanooga local family.

  • 2nd American | Southside – Enjoy a menu tailored towards an homage of the classic American family meal, inspired by Sunday dinners from Chef Daniel Lindley’s childhood. 

  • Crispy Cones Ice Cream | Ooltewah – Enjoy pastry dough ice cream cones, grilled rotisserie-style and covered with cinnamon, sugar, or a specialty powder and filled with your choice of spread, gourmet ice cream, and toppings.

  • Malone’s Steakhouse | Hamilton Place – Prime cuts, a bourbon bar, sushi & bottomless-salad deals mark this informal steakhouse chain.

  • The Playlist | Downtown – Servers double as performers, delivering lively lip-sync performances to popular hits while you enjoy your meal.

  • Scoop Around Ice Cream Bar | Southside – Visit this specialty ice cream shop for unique and Instagram worthy treats! 

  • Blackstone Grille | Lookout Valley – Blackstone Grille is your go-to spot for top-notch steaks, chops, and a great selection of wine and cocktails, all served in a laid-back American tavern vibe.

  • Fond Dos Mil | Southside – Located across from Pizza Bros Southside, try this authentic and affordable Latin food.

  • Riverport Grille | Downtown – Swing by Riverport Grille, now serving up delicious brunch, lunch, and dinner at the former Big River Grille downtown location!

  • 50/50 Wine Bar | Southside – Enjoy wines, martinis, and snacks on a cozy couch or patio overlooking Station Street.

  • HOME Bar | Downtown - From the vibrant design to the elevated Southern cuisine with a modern twist, step into a world where art and dining converge.

  • Chi Chi’s Charred Chicken | Downtown – A Mexican fusion with a southern Twang, this joint is serving up charred chicken and plenty of sides.

  • Little Venezuela | Downtown - Chattanooga's first Venezuelan restaurant offers another dimension of Latin flavors and features a variety of arepas, cheesy cachapas, sopa de res, and flaky pastelitos.

  • Broads Lounge | Downtown - An intentionally inclusive space that and a female-forward cocktail bar offering spirits that are women owned, led or distilled.

  • Big Chicken | Downtown – Shaquille O' Neal is bringing a "wow" factor to the Chattanooga area with big food, big flavor, and big fun.

  • Taco Mamacita | Hamilton Place – A delicious street food Tex-Mex restaurant featuring a modern, eclectic menu where the taco is supreme and everything is made fresh, in house daily.

  • Nightcap Cocktails & Sweets | Downtown - A moody cocktail and sweet treat cocktail lounge so you can end your night on a sweet note. 

  • City Cafe | Downtown - The new Chattanooga location is now open and ready to serve you breakfast, lunch, dinner, and late night munchies in an old fashioned diner atmosphere. 

  • CAVA (2 locations) | Hamilton Place & Hixson - This casual Mediterranean-inspired restaurant offers bowls, pitas, dips, and dressings that helps people eat well and live well. 

  • Raising Cane's ( 2 locations) | Hixson & Hamilton Place - This extremely popular hand-battered chicken fingers spot has come to Chattanooga. 

  • Hawaiian Bros Island Grill | Hixson - This casual spot is serving up Hawaiian comfort food with plate lunches, Dole soft serve, and Spam musubi. 

  • Culver's | Hixson - This Wisconsin staple has brought Midwestern comfort food including Wisconsin cheese curds down South to Chattanooga. 

  • Camilla's | Southside - Sister restaurant to local favorite, Taqueria Jalisco, is a European style bistro in the old location of Slick's Burgers. 

  • Studio Ours | Southside - This unique spot inside the Turnbull offers several places to get a treat including The Matcha Spot, Oui Oui Boulangerie, and Summer Sun Coffee as well as some local shopping. 

  • The Reading Room | East Ridge - This brand new unique bar combines a traditional bar with a bookstore with all the cozy vibes. 

  • Riverdance | Guild, TN - This brand new upscale restaurant, Riverdance, offers modern Southern cuisine, craft cocktails, and one of the best views in the South.

• Coming Soon:  

  • Lost in Transit | Southside 

  • Bad Motive | Southside 

  • The Black Sheep | Downtown

  • Blue Moose | Hamilton Place 

  • Laney’s Restaurant | Red Bank 

  • The Vault | Downtown (Coming February 2026!)

NEW PLACES TO STAY  

• New Accommodations:  

  • The Drury Plaza Hotel | Hamilton Place – Located off I-75, the Drury Plaza Hotel is near Hamilton Place Mall and only four miles from Chattanooga Metropolitan Airport (CHA). 

  • Home2 Suites by Hilton Chattanooga | East Ridge – Within minutes of the city’s top attractions, enjoy restaurants, shopping, and entertainment within walking distance of the hotel.

  • Cloudland at McLemore Resort, Curio Collection by Hilton | Lookout Mountain - A stay at Cloudland gives you a luxurious front-row seat to McLemore Resort and offers an elegant getaway in a mountaintop golf course setting, complete with extensive meeting and event space.

  • The Waymark, Tapestry Collection by Hilton | Downtown - Nestled in the heart of downtown Chattanooga, The Waymark occupies the historic 1927 Chattanooga Savings Bank and Trust Company building. This beautifully revitalized landmark blends timeless grandeur with a fresh, contemporary spirit.

  • Embassy Suites | Downtown - The 7 story, 184-room hotel is located in the riverfront district and is also home to a rooftop restaurant & bar, a street-level restaurant, an indoor pool, and meeting spaces. 

• Upcoming Accommodations Opening:

  • Caption by Hyatt | Southside (Coming early 2026!)

  • The Drury Plaza Hotel | Downtown 

NEW DEVELOPMENTS POPPING UP  

• New Developments: 

  • Chattanooga Airport had added new gates, enlarged the security checkpoint, and bolstered new amenities for travelers, completed in 2024.

  • Head of the Crow State Park & Fiery Gizzard State Park are two brand new (as of October 2025) state parks that were formerly a part of the rapidly growing South Cumberland State Park (it grew to protect more than 30,000 acres!) that since been split up to ensure each area of the park receives the dedicated management, resources, and conservation it deserves. 

  • Riverview Park Playground | North Chattanooga – This redeveloped area will be a recreational space for children of different abilities, ages, and communities. The design incorporated nature and sensory music, features observation areas, and accommodates mobility devices. Opened September 2024

• Upcoming Developments: 

  • EPB Quantum Computing℠ is expected to launch in early 2026. The new IonQ Forte Enterprise Quantum Computer will run inside the EPB Quantum NetworkⓇ. This means the EPB Quantum Center will become the first place in the U.S. where businesses can access both a quantum computer and a quantum network in the same commercial facility. To help more people experiment with quantum technology, EPB will let companies and researchers purchase time to use the quantum computer.

  • Tivoli Theatre is under a major renovation and expansion to turn the theatre into a performing arts center. The Tivoli Performing Arts Center, under construction next door to the theatre, was acquired and will add space for more bathrooms, ADA access, and space for educational opportunities. (Opens Mid 2026) 

  • Chattanooga Airport and Blue Cross Blue Shield are working together to build a new 4.5-acre aviation themed park and observation deck named Chattanooga Airport Blue Cross Healthy Place Park. It is set to open mid to late 2026.

  • The Walnut Street Pedestrian Bridge restoration is projected to be complete in September 2026. 

  • The Anna Safley Houston Museum of Decorative Arts should be re-opening sometime in 2026 after some much needed renovations to improve accessibility and gallery/event space. 

  • The Chattanooga Football Club (CFC) is building a new headquarters within walking distance from home field, Finley Stadium, and will include office space for the club's staff and coaches, apartments for the player, a training facility, retail space, restaurant, and a rooftop bar. It is projected to be completed in January 2026. 

  • Ruby Falls is in the process of constructing a sustainable new corporate office featuring spaces for focused tasks, collaboration, and wellness as well as honor the park's 96 year legacy of inspiring connections with nature. It is projected to be completed August 2026. 

  • The vision for Montague Park, located in the heart of the city, is to make use of Chattanooga's largest park (45 acres) in a more dynamic unified way. The new Montague Park will connect Sculpture Fields to the soccer fields as well as bring the rest of the land back to life so locals and visitors alike can have a nature escape in the middle of our urban landscape. 

  • The Bend, Chattanooga’s next great experience will transform an old industrial site to a vibrant community that blends commercial and residential space with entertainment and green spaces anchored by the bend in the Tennessee River. They began breaking ground in April 2024 however this is slated to be at least a 10 year project. 

  • One Westside will revitalize one of Chattanooga’s most historic neighborhoods, the Westside. The plan prioritizes updating and replacing current housing while introducing retail, services, and economic development to connect residents to amenities near their homes as a part of The Bend development. 

2026 ANNIVERSARIES & MILESTONES  

• Significant Anniversaries:  

  • July 4th, 2026 will be America's 250th birthday and will bring lots of great celebrations and events. 

  • 4 Bridges Art Festival - 25th Anniversary 

  • Girls Inc. of Chattanooga - 65th Anniversary